Film boost for Warner as Narnia chronicles Coast

THE Gold Coast’s struggling film industry is about to get a much needed boost with news that the $150 million The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be shot here.

While management at Warner Roadshow Studios remain tight-lipped, industry insiders are awaiting pre-production to start on the third instalment of the series as soon as June. The Michael Apted-directed feature will provide some relief to unemployed local film crews and is expected to occupy a large portion of vacant space at Warner’s Oxenford studios.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader follows a 2008 slate that included Nim’s Island, Fools Gold and the recent Indian blockbuster Singh is Kinng.

Despite lacklustre tax breaks and incentives to attract offshore productions, the Gold Coast’s popularity as a film destination for national and international television and feature film productions remains steady.

Film Gold Coast chair Lynne Benzie says the $2million underwater tank at Warner Roadshow Studios is the biggest in Australia. The tank is believed to be the catalyst for attracting the latest Narnia epic.

“Gold Coast City has accounted for 75 per cent of all production in Queensland over the past decade and we are the third largest production centre behind Sydney and Melbourne,” says Benzie.

“It’s certainly a boom industry for the Gold Coast and (it) provides a great boost for the local economy. In fact, every $1 million spent on Gold Coast City film production results in 22 full time positions created for the local workforce.”

Past international productions to be shot on the Gold Coast include Nim’s Island, Daybreakers, Fools Gold, Singh is Kinng, The Condemned, See No Evil, Aquamarine, Peter Pan, Great Raid and Scooby Doo. Australian productions, H2O and Sea Patrol are now in production, using the Coast’s diverse locations.